COLUMBIA – With less than two weeks to go before primary elections, Gov. Henry McMaster sent out a message this week to his supporters listing his endorsements, including that of President Donald Trump.

Political experts question generally the importance of endorsements, but they continue to be a staple of the governor's race.

As of this week, here are key endorsements received by those running for their party's nomination for governor on June 12.

Among the Republicans:

► McMaster — McMaster was the first statewide official to endorse Trump in his campaign for president, and Trump has returned the favor.

McMaster also has received the exclusive endorsements of the National Rifle Association and SC Citizens For Life, a major anti-abortion group.

The governor's campaign also has announced the endorsement by an agribusiness coalition made up of 60 farmers and State Agriculture Commissioner Hugh Weathers, and a law enforcement coalition, made up of former sheriffs, federal prosecutors and state solicitors.

► Catherine Templeton — This week Templeton received the endorsement of new Congressman Ralph Norman and state Sen. Wes Climer, whom she described as "leading South Carolina conservatives."

Templeton has said that while she did not receive endorsements from the NRA or SC Citizens For Life, she received the NRA's highest rating and also a 100 percent rating from Citizens For Life.

► John Warren — Warren has received the endorsement of Greenville Mayor Knox White among about 60 business leaders in the state, though the chairman of the state's African-American Chamber of Commerce previously told The Greenville News he was listed and should not have been.

Warren also was endorsed by a group of 60 military veterans, many of them officers, two of whom were Navy Cross recipients.

► Lt. Gov. Kevin Bryant — Bryant was endorsed in April by state Sen. Katrina Shealy of Lexington, a two-term Republican who ousted an incumbent to get into the Senate.

Among the Democrats:

► Phil Noble — Noble, a Charleston Democrat, has been endorsed by Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Bobby Kennedy's daughter; by former state Sen. McKinley Washington; and by James Sanderson, president of United Steel Workers Local 7898.

► State Rep. James Smith — Smith last year received the endorsement of former Gov. and U.S. Education Secretary Dick Riley. He's also been endorsed by former Vice President Joe Biden, U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, former Gov. Jim Hodges, former U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Patterson and former state Education Superintendent Inez Tenenbaum, who also served as chairman of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Among the organizations that have endorsed Smith are the South Carolina Education Association, Conservation Voters of SC, Moms Demand Action Gun Sense, Our Revolution of SC, Planned Parenthood South Atlantic Votes, SC Equality PAC, South Carolina Progressive Network and Sierra Club of SC.

He's also received the endorsement of 36 current or former lawmakers, according to his website.

Do endorsements matter?

Chip Felkel, a Greenville GOP political consultant, said endorsements don't have the same value they once did but still can be useful.

"I think the value of endorsements has waned greatly in the past 20 years," he said, "because voters have so much more access to information about candidates by virtue of technology."

But they can still prove valuable if whoever is endorsing actively helps the campaign, he said.

"You can put somebody's name on a mailer and have a press conference, but if they get on a plane and travel around the state to make sure you hit all the media markets or if they are a big enough name so it's going to garner broad attention, that matters," he said.

But he said getting support from a local lawmaker or even a local congressman who hasn't served long may not have much impact.